Boehner: Talk of tax increases is 'over'

(WASHINGTON TIMES) — House Speaker John A. Boehner declared Sunday that any talk of tax increases as part of a “grand bargain” on the $16 trillion debt was “over,” insisting that the looming crisis would need to be solved with spending cuts.

“The president got his tax hikes on Jan. 1,” said Mr. Boehner, Ohio Republican, on ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos.” “The talk about raising revenue is over. It’s time to deal with the spending problem.”

The Republican leader’s remarks come after a week of President Obama’s so-called charm offensive, in which he sat down with GOP lawmakers for meetings and dinner in order to build relationships as Congress wrestles with the budget.